Lehigh Closes Out JMU Tournament With 3-1 Victory Over Host Dukes

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Four players recorded double digit kills as the Lehigh volleyball team closed out James Madison’s LD&B Insurance Invitational with a 3-1 win over host JMU Sunday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks dropped the first set 28-26 then came back to win the next three 25-16, 30-28 and 25-21 to finish the tournament at 2-1 and move to 4-2 on the season.
 
Senior Natalie Luscomb led Lehigh with 13 kills, while juniors Alysia Fingall and Ufuoma Omene and first-year Mary Massias all contributed 12. Fingall added 12 digs for the double-double.
 
Set one was tight with Lehigh leading for most of the way but the Mountain Hawks never led by more than three points. JMU (2-4) rallied to take a 25-24 lead with Lehigh forcing extra points in the opening set. Back-to-back Kennedy Louisell kills gave James Madison the 28-26 set win and a 1-0 lead.
 
Lehigh tied the match at 1-1 with a dominant second set. The Mountain Hawks hit a match-best .391 and limited the Dukes to .115. A kill by Massias put Lehigh up 11-9 and sparked a 6-0 run. A kill from Omene sparked a 4-0 run to put Lehigh up 21-13. A combo block by Luscomb and senior Madison McCartney secured the 25-16 set win evening the match at 1-1.
 
Extra points were once again required in set three. Lehigh trailed by four early before taking its first lead at 10-9. Neither team would lead by more than two points for the remainder of the set. A McCartney kill fought off a set point for JMU and then kills by Massias and Fingall secured a 30-28 win and a 2-1 match lead.
 
Set four saw Lehigh hold a small lead throughout the early part of the set, with the Mountain Hawks finally going up by four at 16-12 on a kill by junior Olivia Lasee. Another double block by Luscomb and McCartney gave Lehigh a six-point lead at 22-16. The Mountain Hawks would find three more points, with Omene’s 12th kill coming on match point.
 
Lehigh hit .329 for the match while JMU hit .206.
 
McCartney had eight blocks to go along with eight kills. Junior Abby Felkai had 30 assists while sophomore Grace Slovensky contributed 24. Sophomore Sophia Bond led Lehigh with 21 digs.
 
Louisell led JMU with 18 kills.
 
Lehigh will host its Steel Classic tournament Friday-Saturday inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks will host Sacred Heart Friday at noon, NJIT Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Valparaiso Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
 
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